A Safe Space to Speak Above the Silences

A few years ago two social scientists attended a faculty development course on cultural awareness that my colleagues and I offered to medical school faculty. Their research, reported in their paper in this collection, “lifts the hood” on the course, as we tried to do with each other in order to allow us, the faculty, to see ourselves and the course through the eyes of others. Their inclusionary approach of engaging all the voices offers an additional feedback loop now as they invite me to share some comments on their paper and on the course. The process of producing this essay evokes many possibilities; not only for the course, but also regarding the inherent value of making space for voice and reflection in the construction of knowledge. Unavoidably, my comments on the previous article are colored by the perspective of a behavioral health clinician, just one lens of many possible others in the broader discussion of health.